DRBC Will Not Act On Draft Natural Gas Regulations At September 21 Meeting

Special Meeting Scheduled For October 21

For Immediate Release

September 6, 2011

(WEST TRENTON, N.J.) -- Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) Executive Director Carol R. Collier today announced that draft natural gas development regulations will not be on the September 21, 2011 meeting agenda for consideration by the commissioners.

The DRBC has scheduled a special meeting on October 21, 2011 to consider adoption of the regulations. This meeting, open to the public, will be held from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, 1 Memorial Drive, in Trenton, N.J.

The purpose of the proposed regulations is to protect the water resources of the Delaware River Basin during the development and operation of natural gas projects. The commission received approximately 69,000 submissions on the draft natural gas development regulations that were originally published on December 9, 2010. Six public hearing sessions were held at three locations in February 2011 to receive oral testimony, and written comments were accepted until April 15, 2011, which was an extension from the original March 16 deadline. The commissioners and staff have been reviewing the submissions and considering how the draft rulemaking should be modified based on the public input. The October 21 meeting will not include a public hearing.

The DRBC is a federal/interstate government agency responsible for managing the water resources within the 13,539 square-mile Delaware River Basin. The five commission members are the governors of the basin states (Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania) and the commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' North Atlantic Division, who represents the federal government.

Additional information can be found on the commission's web site at www.drbc.net.